RBI Baseball 14 Gets an Early April Release Date on PS3, PS4 Version Out Later

March 12, 2014Written by Jason Dunning

If MLB 14: The Show releasing in April/May seems like too big of an investment for you, RBI Baseball 14 has been given an “early April” release date on PS3, Xbox 360, Android, and iOS, with the PS4 and Xbox One versions arriving shortly after. While the originally reported date was April 10th, that is a Thursday, so it’s possible PS3 owners will see it on April 1st or April 8th.

A price has yet to be announced for RBI Baseball 14, but judging by these new screenshots posted on the game’s Facebook page, it will probably be under $20 for this digital-only title:

For some more information about RBI Baseball 14, Jamie Leece, VP of Games for MLB Advanced Media, talked to Polygon:

It’s going to be very true to the roots of the brand, of RBI Baseball. It will be fast-paced; games can be played in under 20 minutes. From a user control standpoint, fans will find the controls to be ‘classic,’ reminiscent of the two-button controls from games of that generation.

Here’s a rundown of some of the features in RBI Baseball 14:

There won’t be any power-ups or boosts.

There will be 16 players on each of the 30 MLB teams.

Each of the players will show up in three body types: Big = Slugger, Slim = Contact hitters, Average = Balanced.

There will be three modes: Exhibition (play one game), Season (play all 162 games or less), Postseason (take a team through the postseason).

Each team has three jerseys (home, road, alternate) and a retro jersey you can unlock by completing a challenge in Season mode.

There won’t be any online multiplayer.

Multiplayer is limited to one-on-one local games.

Leece explained the lack of modes in RBI Baseball 14:

The modes we have right now are in line with the expectation of RBI. It’s very important for us to make sure that the gameplay experience stays true to the core of the entire era and the genre. […] For this version, we specifically wanted to focus on making sure that we nailed that right. Adding window dressing, and enhanced features and modes, may have gotten in the way of us getting the core experience right.

Are you tempted at all by RBI Baseball 14? Or is it MLB 14: The Show all the way for you? Let us know in the comments below.